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  • 1.  What could a hybrid fundraising dinner look like? How do you engage an at home audience without the full dinner experience?

    Cvent Staff
    Posted 12-06-2021 11:21
    Edited by Ridhima Krishan 12-06-2021 11:22
    Hello awesome community, let's step into this week's Huddle of the Week discussion!

    As a result of the pandemic, fundraising events continue to change and evolve even today. Thanks to the hybrid format, such events have been able to navigate well while creating more opportunities to reach out to donors worldwide. However, one of the major challenges is to keep the audiences engaged and deliver a seamless fundraising dinner experience to the audience attending virtually. But now that we have more event technologies than ever, planners have endless possibilities to host a successful hybrid fundraising event.

    So, tell us about your take on the questions below –
    • What could a hybrid fundraising dinner look like? Share some ideas.
    • How do you engage an at-home audience without the full dinner experience?
    • What event marketing strategy would work best to influence remote and in-person donors?

    We are all ears to your thoughts, so share them below! #HuddleoftheWeek #VoiceIt
    ​​

    #ManagingOn-site
    #ManagingVirtualEvents
    #PromotingYourEvent

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    Ridhima Krishan
    Sr. Associate, Customer Marketing
    Cvent
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  • 2.  RE: What could a hybrid fundraising dinner look like? How do you engage an at home audience without the full dinner experience?

    Community MVP
    Posted 12-09-2021 15:13
    Hi Ridhima, 

    Whenever fundraising is part of the conversation, I try to think about best practices in the industry. Will my event be as glamorous as the Met Gala, and event that has been hybrid in some ways for a long time? Probably not, but I can take lessons from it. 

    A hybrid fundraising dinner could have some thematic elements that audiences at home would be able to fulfill as well. Seasonally, let's suggest an Ugly Christmas Sweater contest for example. Audiences both in person and at home would be able to submit a picture of themselves for voting on. You could monetize the voting itself where your contestants become ambassadors and appeal to friends and family to vote ($1 a vote or something like that). Then it becomes not just a competition on the ugliest sweater, but also a fundraising tool. 

    The dinner portion is of course challenging, bu you could have a cocktail workshop that's for the virtual audience only, and then have dinner delivered to them so that they are in sync with the in-person audience and can eat their own meal while speeches are going on. 

    Just a few ideas!

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    Béline FALZON
    Conference Program Specialist II
    California Teachers Association
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  • 3.  RE: What could a hybrid fundraising dinner look like? How do you engage an at home audience without the full dinner experience?

    User Group Member
    Posted 12-10-2021 09:43
    Fundraising sometimes is tricky but fun to put together. A silent auction is always a great way to raise money.

    The at-home audience can receive gift cards to order from places like door dash; grub hub, favor, or Uber Eats.

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    Mary Ann Hall
    Events Specialst
    Federal Reserve System
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  • 4.  RE: What could a hybrid fundraising dinner look like? How do you engage an at home audience without the full dinner experience?

    Community MVP
    Posted 12-10-2021 10:43
    • What could a hybrid fundraising dinner look like? The sky is the limit! I once saw an amazing "mashed potato bar" in which your mashed potatoes went into a large martini glass, and then you went through the line choosing your toppings. A really fun experience!
    • How do you engage an at-home audience without the full dinner experience? Send dinner from a service! There are several I've noticed recently that are specifically targeted for events and client appreciation. 
    • What event marketing strategy would work best to influence remote and in-person donors? Opportunity to promote their service via a special email send, ad in your normal newsletter(s), banner ad on your website, ad in the virtual event software, etc. 


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    Lori Wildman
    Senior Marketing Manager
    DuCharme, McMillen & Associates, Inc.
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  • 5.  RE: What could a hybrid fundraising dinner look like? How do you engage an at home audience without the full dinner experience?

    Posted 12-13-2021 09:35
    • What could a hybrid fundraising dinner look like? Share some ideas.
    • We've had success with silent auctions in the past during in-person events, using online auction sites to manage bidding, so it would be easy to make it a hybrid activity.
    • How do you engage an at-home audience without the full dinner experience?
    • Giving them access to view the speakers, entertainment, etc. It would also be a nice touch to send them a small gift they can use during the dinner - ex. a pizza making kit, cocktail mixers, etc. so they can partake in the "dining" without being there
    • What event marketing strategy would work best to influence remote and in-person donors?
    • Lots of advertising options to promote their products, services, etc. throughout the event


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    Bouran Qaddumi
    National Field Trainer
    Cajun Operating Company d/b/a Church's Chicken
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  • 6.  RE: What could a hybrid fundraising dinner look like? How do you engage an at home audience without the full dinner experience?

    User Group Member
    Posted 12-14-2021 20:58
    I think this is a fun idea! People might be more inclined to donate from the comfort of their home. There could be interactive ways for them to participate, things to win from participating. They could purchase tickets for raffles, there could still be a silent auction. Much like they did for CVENT Connect this past year for the happy hour, where they had bartenders showing us how to make special drinks, the attendees can participate from home or simply watch.

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    Teresa James
    Director of Sales & Marketing
    DoubleTree by Hilton Gainesville
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